How to Dye Your Eggs Naturally

March 21, 2016

How to dye your eggs naturally.

Photos by Kristen Kong

Ever wanted to dye Easter eggs naturally? While it takes longer than a PAAS hypercolor dye kit, your eggs will be chemical-free and much nicer to the environment.

Ingredients to dye your eggs naturally.

Here's what you'll need:

  • Hard boiled eggs ( preferably white )
  • Dye Ingredients listed below
  • White vinegar ( 2 Tablespoons per quart of water )
  • Pots for boiling ingredients
  • Egg decorations and crayons in case you want to add some pizazz to your eggs
  • Egg cartons for drying the dyed eggs

Red cabbage to make purple.

There are several ingredients that will produce a rich spectrum of homegrown egg dye colors, but it's not always intuitive. For example, red cabbage produces a blue hue.

RUDDY RED - 3 beets, skinned and chopped or red onion skins from at least 4 onions
YELLOW - 3 Tablespoons of tumeric
GREEN - spinach leaves or liquid chlorophyll
BLUE - a head of red cabbage, chopped

Red beets for a nice pink.

Simmer ingredients for 20-30 minutes. Crunchy Domestic Goddess and Organic.org have some great in-depth tutorials on how to experiment with more colors and foods.

Dip the eggs in the dye.

Strain ingredients and retain the liquid. Add 2T of vinegar and soak your eggs in the dye until they are the desired color. Remember to refrigerate your eggs if soaking for more than 20 minutes.